Dragon Ball: Soul of Z
by MrFirmbottom
Summary: A team of four Saiyans approached an unsuspecting world on a usual claim job, unaware that Frieza had destroyed Vageta. Soon after hearing the grave news, the four Saiyans Renkon, Shey, Kyura, and Jind begin their true journey. Can they hope to survive, cut off and stranded, whilst being hunted by Frieza's army? What other grave threats await them? Click and find out!


Disclaimer/Author's note:

Please note, I intended this as an addition to the original Dragon Ball Z universe, with a completely new story, new characters, villains, and plotline. This is not an edit of the original series. Very few, if any, original characters will appear or be mentioned in this series. With that said, I do not own the original Dragon Ball Z universe, but I love it to death; and, I wondered what would happen if a team of Saiyans, other than Goku, Radtiz, Vageta and Nappa, survived Vegeta's destruction? If you are as curious as I, let's find out!

Leave a review if you wish, and enjoy yourself!

* * *

Episode One: Arrival, Vegeta Destroyed!

Deep in the depths of space, four Saiyan warriors slept inside their pod ships while approaching an unsuspecting planet. Two weeks have passed since their departure; now only moments remained until they break the atmosphere.

* * *

An alarm woke Renkon up, then his pod's computer displayed that he would arrive at the target planet in five minutes. He pressed a switch, opening the pod's intercom. "Everyone wake up, five minutes until we're planet side."

Shey yawned. "Good. This dull trip has me itching for some fun."

"Same here. I can't wait to get out of this thing and stretch my legs." Kyura stretched her stiff shoulders.

"If we find just one worthy opponent on this world, this trip will be worth it." Jind said, cracking his neck.

"Yeah, wouldn't bet on it though." Shey smirked. "Being the best often means being unchallenged."

"And underpaid apparently." Kyura added.

Once in orbit, Renkon looked out his window. The planet was a thick light blue colour with reddish cloud cover, and bits of grayish bodies of water. Storms and super cells raged in the dark side, while the light side was mostly clear with a few storms covering some patches of light blue. He nodded in approval. "Right. Any questions before we do this?"

"What info do we have on this world?" Jind asked.

Renkon pressed some buttons, then answered. "It's called Noga, just a wild jungle world, breathable air, rich in resources. The locals here are a race of evolved amphibians called Nogans. No other data exists on them."

"We'll play it by ear." Kyura half smiled when the timer hit thirty seconds.

The Saiyans descended into the atmosphere. Fire surrounded their ships before they slammed into the ground, making large craters in the muddy soil.

Renkon's pod opened first. Taking in a breath, a foul odor filled his nose. "Tch. I've smelled worse." The air was thick, humid, and hot. Mud and water ran down the crater's wall, leaving the floor loose and soggy. He activated his scouter's com-link. "We landed in a swamp. Watch your step, or you'll lose your boots."

**"Ah!"** Shey yelled. "Now you tell me!"

"What a dump." Kyura said, scrunching her nose. "And it smells like the meat facility's garbage area back home."

"Alright, meet up high." Renkon flew, and met the other's above. Everyone looked fine, except for Shey only having one boot on.

Kyura saw this and laughed. "You actually lost your boot?"

Shey crossed her arms. "Humph, whatever." She took the other boot off, then tossed it, leaving both her feet bare. "I needed a new pair anyway."

The Saiyans took in their surroundings. Mossy lichen grew in thick patches in the jungle below; ponds of murky water covered the ground. The surroundings were vibrant in life, most of them carnivorous and violent, including some plant life, and big ugly insects.

Kyura whistled. "Man, what could evolve in this hell?"

Jind smirked. "Equally hellish opponents."

"Everyone, scan the area." Renkon pushed a switch on his scouter, and power level data filled his H.U.D.

Jind said with disappointment, "Power level average range between 80 and 113."

"Well, so much for hellish opponents." Shey patted him on the shoulder. "Sorry, big guy. Maybe next time?"

"Though, the creatures here should offer a good workout." Renkon cracked his neck and knuckles. "Alright, our goal time is two days. Remember, use our Great Ape form only when necessary."

"Not that we'll need it." Shey boasted.

Kyura scratched her head. "I barely remember the last time I changed."

"The greatest warrior, is one who does not rely on his greatest moves." Jind added.

Kyura whistled, then gestured at him. "Watch it; Jind's inner guru's coming out."

"Let's get started." Renkon took off; Shey, Jind, and Kyura followed closely behind.

"Hey, smell that?" Shey asked after a minute passed, and stopped with the others. "Something other than musty trash?"

"Smoke." Jind eyed around, then noticed a small clearing in the canopy. "Down there."

"Shall we introduce ourselves?" Kyura cracked a smile.

"Yeah." Renkon saw a few huts made out of fallen tree trunks in the clearing, with smoke bellowing from their makeshift chimneys. He descended with the others. The dirt there was dry and solid to his approval. They looked around; nothing was moving. The village seemed deserted.

"So, this is a Nogan village?" Kyura said seeing nothing. "Not too lively are they?"

Jind checked his scouter. "There's twenty-three of them, and they're hiding."

"They knew we were coming..." Renkon crossed his arms, thinking.

"Maybe they saw the pods?" Kyura wondered.

"Does it matter?" Shey grinned, charging a Ki blast while aiming at one of the huts. "**Knock, knock!" **The hut blew apart in a cloud of light and force, leaving a smoking crater.

The ground erupted around Renkon and his team, as a horde of big dark-skinned Nogans ambushed them. The Saiyans reacted immediately.

Two charged Renkon. He punched one in the gut. Its thick skin felt like course leather. It dropped like a rock, and stayed down. He let the other hit him square in the head. Barely feeling it, he grabbed its hand, then charged an attack over its chest. Only its severed arm remained after the blast cleared. Renkon tossed it, intimidating the other Nogans.

Kyura took on three, Jind four, and Shey six. The Saiyans destroyed the Nogans, until only eight remained standing.

"Tch. That wasn't even fun." Shey frowned.

One Nogan stepped forward, gritting its sharp teeth. _"What are you? Why have you come?"_ it almost hissed.

"Huh, it can speak." Kyura said.

"We are Saiyans." Renkon answered. "This planet is property of Lord Frieza's Planet Trade Organization. We're here to cleanse it of all hostile life, so it can be sold for a good price."

Its eyes went wide. _"Saiyans? We hear of before."_

"Then you know how screwed you are!" Shey smiled, phased next to the Nogan, then buried her fist into it. She charged a Ki blast at the five to the right, laughing as they tried to run. When the beam of light cleared, they were gone.

_"Monster!" _The last two attacked Shey in anger, but quickly met the same fate.

"Those freaks were hardly even worth killing." Shey wiped her hands clean, then tossed the cloth in irritation.

A bright flickering light in the sky caught Renkon's attention. He glared at it, feeling uneasy.

Kyura noticed Renkon was distracted. "Something wrong, boss?"

The others looked at him.

"No, it's nothing." He waved the thought away. "Come on; we have a deadline. Let's go to work." He took off with his team and got started.

* * *

A day and a half later, the Saiyans nearly cleared the planet. They would've finished sooner, but the locals proved resourceful. The Nogans seemed to know their every move with an awareness Renkon would almost call mystical. Still, with a few Nogans left alive, it seemed like they'd beat their deadline and go home early. Inside a ruined Nogan city, Renkon and his team sat around a campfire having a lunch break.

* * *

"Blek, they taste as bad as they look." Shey spit, then chucked the cooked Nogan arm away. "These beasts really are good for nothing."

"I've had worse." Kyura said with her mouth full, "This Nogan bread isn't half bad."

"And, they do make comfy seats." Jind patted the one he was sitting on humorously.

Some rubble clacked down its pile, catching the Saiyan's attention. Looking closely, a dirty Nogan youth was peeking its head up from behind. They just ignored it, and kept eating.

Renkon grabbed a roasted bug leg on a stick, then held it at Shey. "Here, try this instead."

"Pass." She waved it away. "I wanted to watch it burn for trying to eat me, not to eat it myself."

"I'll try it." Jind took the bug leg and bit. "It tastes sweet, better than this roasted Nogan. Nice job, Shey."

"Sweet, huh? Give me one." Kyura put the bread down and bit, then squeed. "It's like the sweet ribs back home!" She dug into the bug leg, eating even the husk.

Renkon examined his, then sampled it. "This bug must secrete a nectar to attract pray. Fascinating."

"Hmm, agreed." Jind belched, satisfied with his meal.

The young Nogan sheepishly crept from behind the rubble pile, and tip toed toward Kyura. Almost within grabbing distance, it reached out for the bread loaf with a bite out of it.

"Hmm?" Kyura got a funny feeling, half turned, then eyed the child.

It yelped, jumped back, and quivered in fear, then an even smaller Nogan child peeked over the rubble pile in the background.

The others turned their attention to the youths.

Shey scowled. "Tch. What's with the squirt league?"

Kyura looked at the bread loaf, then back to the starved youth. She grabbed the loaf, then held it out. "Here."

Confused, it hesitated, then quickly snatched the loaf and jumped back to safety.

"You got what you wanted. **N****ow beat it scamp!**" Shey yelled.

It tensed in fear, then ran back to the rubble pile where the smaller youth stood waiting.

Renkon threw away his empty stick. "You shouldn't waste your food, Kyura. The jungle will claim them soon."

"I don't know." Kyura laughed lightly. "Kids might surprise you. Remember when we were kids?"

He thought back to growing up on the streets of Vageta, where orphaned life was harsh and fleeting in the low-class districts. Those who didn't make comrades quick often perished. If it wasn't for Kyura, he would probably be dead. The wilds will have no mercy on those kids. "Maybe." he finally answered.

"Let's hurry. Our time is almost up." Jind got up and stretched.

Renkon used his scouter, and pinpointed the survivors. Under a thousand remained. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

The Saiyans followed their scouters to a small untouched town. There, six Nogans defiantly stood out in the open, waiting on them. They landed a few yards away, meeting the Nogan's gaze full on.

* * *

"Looks like they wish to meet us head on for a change." Shey narrowed her eyes at them. "Fine; we skip to the fun part!"

Renkon's scouter stated their power levels were between 102 and 113. He held his hand out. "Wait. Something's off."

Shey glanced at him. "Why? These weaklings should fear us." Her scouter lit up, catching her off guard. "Huh?" One of the Nogan's power spiked to 200. She listened, and stood back.

That Nogan stepped up, a hot intensity in his glare. _"I am Ojero. The Six Masters stand before you. __**You Saiyans shall know fear!**" _He took a stance, and his power rose. The five Nogans around Ojero chanted, and their auras started glowing.

"His power level is over 500!" Kyura said.

Jind smiled. "Yes, **yes!** Keep rising!"

Renkon and Shey observed, arms crossed, smirking.

Ojero absorbed his fellow Nogan's power. They soon collapsed and lied on the floor motionless. Ojero pointed at the Saiyans. _"Now the One Master of legend defies you. Abandon your lives. Your terror ends here."_

"His power stopped at 2346!" Jind clinched his fists in excitement. "Finally!"

"There you go, big guy." Shey walked back, then sat down to watch and clean the mud off her feet.

"Have fun." Kyura blasted a wall into rubble, relaxed on the pile, and started grooming her tail with a comb from her hair, letting it fall loose.

"Just don't take too long." Renkon said while taking a seat with the others

"Don't worry. I haven't missed a deadline yet!" Jind gave him a thumbs up.

Ojero frowned. _"Saiyans take death lightly. Very foolish."_

"No." Jind snapped into his fighting stance. "They're taking **yours** lightly!" He jumped at Ojero and punched, but he blocked it.

Ojero jabbed at Jind's stomach; he caught it and held on. Both stood there, eyes locked, Ojero hissing and gritting teeth, while Jind was calm and focused. Jind gripped tightly, lifting Ojero off his feet; while in midair, he head-butted him in the face.

Ojero yelled and staggered to his footing, then recovered. _"Strong."_ he said, wiping the green blood trail from his nose. _"But, the One Master is not slain so easily. Try harder."_

"Humph." Jind smirked, returning to his stance. "Ready for round two then?"

Ojero sighed, then stood his ground. Eyes closed, he focused on something.

Jind's scouter bleeped, displaying Ojero's power raising even higher. "Hmm." He watched closely, ready for anything.

Ojero's power rose passed 3000; he bent in his stance and grunted. **_"Booodyyy."_ **Rising his dark hands, pale palms facing Jind, energy arced and formed a ball. He screamed, _**"Buster!"** _A beam of heated Ki sped toward Jind with power rating at 3800.

**"Ha!" **Jind snapped his hand out, catching he attack. It exploded, pushing him back while engulfing him in light, smoke, and dust. The force resonated inside his hand and arm like sound through a gong, making him grunt in surprise. It left his arm numb, and his hand stung inside out. He looked at it, then gripped. "Been a long time since I last felt pain." He smiled and laughed. "Amazing. Taking you out will be the highlight of my week!"

Ojero stared in shock, then frowned. _"I see, very strong, very worthy; any lesser, you would be dust."_

"I'm just warming up." Jind smirked. "Alright, let's see how fast you are." He vanished.

Ojero's eyes bulged, then he looked left to right panicked. He calmed with a breath, then closed his eyes, feeling the field out. Jind appeared, then threw a Ki ball at him. Ojero dodged it cleanly, then vanished himself. Above, he kneed down at Jind. Blocking it, Jind jabbed; Ojero parried, then returned the blow. They locked in, punching, kneeing, blocking, and dodging. Both seemed even in the fight.

* * *

"I haven't seen Jind this exited in a while." Shey said amused.

Kyura whistled, combing her hair now. "Looks fun out there. That Ojero character handles himself well."

Renkon watched with his hands clasped. "Yes. This may last a few more minutes."

* * *

Jind landed a punch to Ojero's cheek. Taking it, he struck Jind in the stomach with his knee. They locked again; but, once the fight took to the air, Jind landed a more potent blow, sending Ojero flying. He hit the ground with such force, it made a crater with a dust cloud. When the cloud cleared, the crater was empty.

"What?" Jind searched all around, but saw nothing.

Ojero appeared behind him in the middle of a kick. Noticing it too late, Jind took it in the side. He flew to the ground, and plowed into a building, causing it to collapse on him.

Ojero descended, arms crossed, eyes fixated on the ruin with burning focus.

Jind pushed a large chunk of building off him, then stood trying to dust himself off, but was still left covered. "Hey, not a bad move you did there!" He shouted, "Mind if I copy it?" He moved so fast, it didn't leave a dust trail.

_"Wha-"_ Ojero turned around and blocked Jind's punch with his forearm, but the blow forced his fist into his own face. Light headed and seeing blue specs, Ojero stumbled off-balance.

**"Ha!"** Jind threw a flurry of blows with blinding speed.

Helpless, Ojero took the onslaught of punches and kicks. Jind slowed after punching Ojero's diaphragm with such force his eyes bulged, knocking all the wind from his lungs. Jind chopped his hand down, hitting Ojero's neck. Loosing control of his legs, he fell, then Jind grabbed his head and lifted him high up. Light beamed from his hand, and exploded in Ojero's face, sending him flying into a big tree.

"It's over!" Jind held his hand out with three fingers pointed in a prong at Ojero. He charged his attack, then let it loose. **"Triple beam!"**

Heavily wounded, Ojero sluggishly dodged, before one beam narrowly missed his head; but, the other two punched through his lung, and nicked heart. He fell back on the tree, then collapsed to the ground.

* * *

"Well, it had to end eventually." Shey got up, then walked to Jind.

Kyura did her hair back up, then joined her comrade with Renkon.

* * *

Jind stood there, grinning while showing the _V for victory _sign with his hand. "Ha! I was wrong, that was definitely the highlight of my month!"

"Clean, as always." Renkon said with approval.

Shey looked around, then scowled. "Tch. Looks like he's the only strong one on this world. Figures."

"There's still a few hundred Locals left." Jind answered.

"We'll see." She crossed her arms.

The Saiyans heard harsh wheezing and coughing from Ojero, as he took a deep breath in.

Shey frowned. "That little pest is still alive? I'm almost impressed."

Kyura whistled. "He's tough that one."

Jind eyes went wide. "Wow, you said it!"

"Too bad, he's only got a few minutes left." Renkon said, then thought about something that had been bothering him, then approached the Nogan.

Ojero choked on some green blood, then glared up at Renkon. _"N-No."_ He grunted, slowly raising his hand, palm facing him. _"Can't loose."_

"It's over." Renkon knelt to his level. "Even if you could pull it off, it wouldn't hurt me. You're too weak."

_"Humph." _Hesitant, he finally let his hand down. _"They can't say I didn't try."_

"For what it's worth." Jind said respectfully, "You rate in the top ten strongest I've fought." He scratched his head. "Well, it's more between ten and nine, but still..." he cleared his throat and dropped the subject.

_"Lucky me."_ He mocked.

"Enough." Renkon pointed at him. "You're not going to last long, and I need something answered."

_"Help you?"_ Ojero said between wheezes,_ "You... have some nerve."_

"Your people have been able to track our movement since we landed, even when it should've been impossible. I want to know how."

Ojero just blinked at first. _"We sensed you?"_ he said confused.

"Sensed?" Renkon narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

_"You really don't know, do you?"_

"Maybe he means our power level?" Jind asked.

"But, don't you need a scouter for that?" Shey wondered out loud.

"You sensed what? Our power level?" Renkon pointed at his scouter. "You need a scouter to read power levels."

Ojero laughed himself into a coughing fit, then sighed when it passed. _"You know, advanced as you are, you Saiyans are backward."_

The Saiyans shared glances.

Renkon frowned. "Alright, I'll bite. How do you sense power levels without a scouter?"

_"F-for me to know... and you idiots to... to figure out."_ Ojero laughed again, then let his last breath go, passing into oblivion.

"He's gone." Kyura sighed, disappointed.

"Tch." Shey just walked away.

"You know, if it were me, I wouldn't have said anything either, Renkon." Jind stated.

"Yeah." He got up. "Neither of us would."

Kyura checked the time with her scouter. "Um, fellas, we're two hours from losing our best time."

Shey launched a Ki blast at a building, vaporizing it and leaving a crater.

"Uh..." Jind hit his scouter, and saw the number of survivors hadn't changed. "That building was empty."

"Damn!" Shey readied to blast another, when everyone's scouter bleeped like crazy. "What the hell?!"

Renkon saw the numbers and snapped into his fighting stance, as did the others. "We have incoming!"

"I see it!" Kyura answered.

Shey stared at her data in disbelief.

"Five big power levels closing in, averaging 7000 to 11,000!" Jind yelled, searching around, seeing no movement from the survivors. "The locals aren't the source!"

"It's coming from the sky." Renkon saw a ball of fire enter the atmosphere above. He hit his scouter's zoom function. It was a troop carrier from Frieza's army. "It's one of Frieza's ships; relax everyone."

"Frieza?" Kyura relaxed a little. "Phew."

"Heh! That would've been one heck of a fight!" Jind looked at Shey, and smirked. "I think I even saw Shey jump a little."

"In your dreams." She quipped.

He laughed.

Shey scowled and crossed her arms. "7000 to 11,000, huh? Isn't Bardock's team within a hundred light years from here? Could they be on that ship?"

"Unlikely, but one way to find out." Renkon hit his scouter's comlink. "This is cleansing Team 97 to incoming friendly ship; state your business here, over." He waited. No one answered. "I say again, cleansing team 97 to incoming ship, state the reason you're here, over." He waited, and still no answer.

"Why wont they respond?" Kyura asked.

"Maybe their comlink's gone bad?" Jind wondered.

"Or, they're just not answering." Shey added.

"Not good either way." Renkon looked back at the unfinished job, then sighed begrudgingly. "Come on, let's go check it out."

Jind shook his head. "Ugh."

"We'll nail it next time." Kyura shrugged, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Damn." Shey muttered. "Whoever they are, they'd better be dying in that ship, or I'll kill 'em myself."

"Let's go." Renkon flew up, and the others followed him.

* * *

While in the sky, the Saiyans watched the vessel land a good distance away in the bluish jungle.

* * *

"Idiots, why did they land so far away?" Kyura said irritated.

Renkon got a bad feeling. "Let's pick up the pace!"

They pushed halfway there through the reddish sky, until four power levels 7000 to 8300 began rapidly approaching.

"We've got company!" Shey yelled over the wind in her face.

The Saiyans stopped and waited far above the jungle canopy. Soon, four Frieza troopers grouped in the distance.

One in green armour had a smug smile. "That was easy."

"Think they die any easier?" the other in yellow asked.

"Watch it, punk." Shey sneered.

"On your guard." Jind whispered over a secure channel on the comlink, "I don't like their look."

Renkon crossed his arms. "What are you doing here?"

They laughed devilishly.

"Taking out the garbage." The leader answered, before lashing out a Ki attack.

He quickly dodged it, while the others snapped into fighting stances.

**"Hey, you bastard!"** Shey yelled.

Jind asked angry, "Have you lost your mind?!"

Kyura scowled, then phased next to Renkon. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." He clenched his fist at the blue alien. "He wont be. Explain yourself!"

"Fine. I suppose there's no harm in it." He shrugged. "We're here to kill you. You see, Frieza decided he didn't want you monkeys around anymore, so he destroyed your whole pathetic planet ending your race!"

**"What?!"** The Saiyans blurted out.

"You're lying!" Renkon yelled.

Laughing, the alien's scouter displayed a huge power level of 16,000, then a Ki blast shot up from below the canopy. **"Huh-"** He turned his head, just in time to see it before atomizing into nothing.

A Saiyan in typical battle armour with short hair appeared, ending two soldiers with one punch to the stomach, then moving to bring his elbow down on the other's head. The last one finally realized what was happening. **"Traitor-"** he started before the Saiyan killed him with a swift kick to the diaphragm. The remains of the three fell like rocks into the jungle.

"You really believed I would actually side with trash like you?" The Saiyan crossed his arms. "Simple fool."

That surprised Kyura. "He's fast!"

Shey smiled, almost admirably.

Jind was still absorbing what the soldier said. "Vegeta... destroyed by Frieza? That's a lie."

"No, I'm afraid not." The Saiyan answered. "Though an idiot, he was not lying."

"But-" Kyura started.

Renkon stopped her. "Who are you?"

"Relax. My name is Elak." He held his hand up. "I'm under orders by Prince Vegeta to return you to him safely."

His eyes narrowed at the Saiyan in mistrust. "What about the King?"

"Your suspicion is understandable." Elak stared at him directly. "The King is dead."

Kyura's hand was over her mouth in angst. "Who else made it?"

"General Nappa, and some low-class warrior." He thought to himself. "I'm not sure about the other teams still on mission."

Jind asked, "You're a Super Elite, aren't you?"

"That's right." Elak nodded.

"Then you were near the King when he died, correct?"

"No, I was on a mission off world by King Vegeta's orders. I intercepted a message from Dodoria to Lord Frieza. He eliminated several Saiyan targets, including Bardock and his team."

"What?!" Shey hardly believed that.

Jind frowned. "Then how do you know he's dead? What proof do you have?"

Elak just looked at him. "Frieza killed him, and the rest of my comrades." He pointed at his scouter. "I stole the file on it."

"Hmmm." He just crossed his arms, letting the topic slide.

Renkon felt his anger building. "Does the Prince know about Frieza?"

Elak sighed. "No. By the time I got back from my mission, it was too late. Frieza told the Prince a comet destroyed Vegeta; but, I knew better. After some digging yesterday, I found out the truth and saved the data." He gestured to his scouter again. "Thus far, I am unable to tell the Prince without compromising his safety, and my mission." He motioned for them to follow. "Come; let's get out of the open."

* * *

After following Elak, Team 97 arrived at the ship's landing site, in a typical rocky jungle clearing with solid bluish soil. A few dead soldiers lied on the ground in craters and near some smashed rocks, no doubt by Elak's hand. After descending, they walked closer to the ship.

* * *

Elak turned around to face them. "More questions?"

Having been deep in thought throughout the flight, Renkon finally spoke up. "Exactly when was Vegeta destroyed?"

"Two weeks and three days ago."

Shey asked, "I saw a very bright light in the sky after we landed here. Was that Vegeta?"

"No, Vegeta is hundreds of light years away." He pointed at the ship. "That's what you saw, as it got close to this planet."

Renkon remembered seeing it. "The files you mentioned, I want to see them."

Elak hesitated, then took his scouter off. "Very well." He tossed it to him.

After catching it, Renkon replaced his own with it, then accessed the video files.

"I want to see it as well." Jind said.

"Same here." Shey agreed.

Kyura just nodded to him.

He patched the feed to their scouters, then hit playback.

* * *

His H.U.D flickered, then thousands of Frieza troopers were fighting a single warrior in orbit over Vegeta, with Frieza's flagship in the distance. The details were fuzzy, making it hard to see exactly who the lone Saiyan was, be he fought through the horde with wild abandon and arrived at Frieza's ship alive.

**"Frieza, come out and fight me!"** The Saiyan screamed, hovering over the ship with two troopers clinging to him. **"You coward, come out!"**

* * *

"Wait." Shey almost gasped. "I know that voice; is that **Bardock?!**"

Kyura nodded. "Yes!"

"So, Dodoria failed." Jind said, then continued to watch.

* * *

The ship's top outer door opened, to the horror of the troopers holding Bardock. Frieza ascended from within the ship on his chair with a scowl. Terrified hails, and cheers came from the troopers.

"Long live Lord Frieza!" one trooper yelled.

Frieza's climb halted just above his ship.

Bardock laughed. "No way, you've lived long enough! Actually, it's been too long for my taste!"

He just stared Bardock down, while holding a small Ki ball over his finger.

"Frieza, listen up!" Bardock yelled, "We quit, all of us! Got it?! We don't work for you!"

Frieza, not amused, held his finger up, the Ki ball still over it.

"We're free; you can find someone else to do your dirty work!" Bardock grinned. "Oh, yeah. There is one last thing." He charged up a large Ki ball of his own in his hand. "This is for all the people we killed in your name! I wish we were never foolish enough to obey you!" He threw the attack at Frieza. **"Here, have it!"**

It flew at him, then, with Frieza's manic laughter, the Ki ball over his finger grew to an enormous size while absorbing Bardock's attack.

**"No way!"** Bardock screamed.

With a flick of his finger, Frieza sealed Vegeta's fate. The monstrous attack engulfed not only his troopers, but Bardock as well. When it hit Vegeta, the planet exploded into dust.

* * *

Kyura glared at her scouter, mouth agape.

Shey just stared at the ground, while Jind tried to find his words.

When the video cut out, Renkon gritted his teeth. "Fff-**Friiiieeeezaaaa!**" he screamed, while ripping the scouter from his head and crushing it to pieces. **"You're going to pay for this!"**

**"I'll rip them all apart!"** Shey stared at her hands, then imagined crushing Frieza's neck with them. "Bardock... **Damn it**." Clenching them so hard, blood dripped from her fists.

"This **outrage** will not go unpunished!" Jind hit his fist into his palm.

Kyura crossed her arms, feeling an intensity burning deeply. It was unfamiliar, and very powerful. "No, it wont."

"Don't delude yourselves." Elak said. "Even King Vageta didn't survive; you wouldn't get past Frieza's Lieutenants."

"We can't just do nothing!" Shey yelled.

"No, Shey. You saw what Frieza did." Renkon stared at his hands, rough, bruised, and dirt covered; he clinched them. "We don't stand a chance."

She grunted in frustration, then walked off to punch something.

"Even still." Elak crossed his arms. "Frieza is not invincible. He's declared a war he cannot win." Seeing he had their attention, he continued. "After I received Prince Vegeta's orders, Zarbon approached me with an offer. I'd get to live, only if I agreed to hunt down the surviving Saiyans still on their missions." He smirked. "The fool gave me my window to fulfill my mission; I took it. Now, get in the ship-"

**"I knew it!"** yelled over the field from the ship.

The Saiyans quickly looked, and saw a gray skinned soldier in orange tinted armour standing at the open doorway.

"Tch. You're still alive?" Elak turned. "I vented the air out of your room when you were asleep yesterday."

"My race hibernates when in vacuum, you dolt!" The alien walked towards him, scowling.

He smirked. "Pity."

Renkon's scouter measured the alien's power level at 11,000. "Elak, you know this guy?"

"That's Kensappo, one of Zarbon's officers." he answered calmly.

Kensappo pointed at them. "That's right. General Zarbon knew you would betray him, so he sent me with you; he's been following close behind. I sent out a distress call, so the General will be here any minute now."

Kyura sighed with a shrug. "That's just great."

"I already knew that." Elak crossed his arms. "So, I'll just kill you quickly."

He smiled. "Heh, good one. Zarbon will reward me for killing each of you."

"Don't count on it, freak!" Shey powered up and prepared herself.

He laughed, then activated his scouter. "Let's see. This one has a level of... just 7005? Oh, no. Not 7005!" He looked at Jind. "And you, 7010? Not so tough for a tall one, are you?" Then to Kyura, "7015, my, that's an improvement!" And at Renkon, "7020, not another increase of five! Now I'm really scared." He scanned Elak. "What, 8000? That's it?!" Kensappo frowned. "You are what passes for an Elite among your race?! No wonder Frieza destroyed you bunch of weaklings!"

"Is that so?" Elak, sill smirking, readied himself. "You fool, while you were playing dolls with yourself, I was burning worlds as a child. You think I wouldn't have learned a few things in that time, **like how to hide my power level?!**" He grunted, then the ground started shaking, while lightning arced around him. Soon, a field of raw power surrounded him.

Kensappo scowled, then checked his scouter. **"What, 16,000?!"** He fearfully took a step back.

Kyura Whistled, impressed.

"Wow, look at that power!" Jind said.

Shey hit her fists together. **"Yeah, squash him!"**

"Give him some room." Renkon backed off with the others.

Kensappo yelled, "Don't get cocky! When Zarbon gets here, he'll make you dead!"

Elak rolled his eyes, phased out of sight, then punched him in the gut, forcing him off the ground. Elak kneed kensappo's side, then hit him square in the face. The alien flew into a distant bolder, smashing it to chunks.

Bloodied while barely conscious, the Officer pulled himself out of the rubble and shakily stood. "You... wont beat me!" He charged a Ki attack, then cast it. **"Die, filthy Saiyan!"**

Elak held his hand out. **"Death Gunner!"** A huge beam of Ki shot from his palm, absorbing Kensappo's attack.

The alien managed to put his guard up and whimper, before vanishing into the bright beam. Elak's Death Gunner cut into the jungle, then exploded in the distance, leaving a mushroom cloud where a kilometer of jungle once stood.

"Nice!" Shey grinned.

Kyura whistled again. "Neat move."

Jind wondered out loud. "Now what?"

"We deal with Zarbon." Elak powered down, then crossed his arms.

"We have our space pods." Kyura said. "So, let's leave. Like now?"

"Last I checked, Zarbon's ship was within a parsec from here, and it's an interceptor class." Elak sighed. "Now, if we tried to run-"

"He'll shoot us down before we get out of the system." Renkon frowned.

"Yes." He nodded, then scratched the back of his head. "I was hoping to avoid this."

Shey scowled. "So, what? We just wait here and die?"

Renkon smirked. "No way. I have a plan."

"As do I." Elak approached the group. "Let's hear yours first."

"Alright, we know Zarbon's ship is better than ours; so, when he lands, we steal it."

Elak looked amused. "Hmmm, we more or less share the same plan."

"What if he expects that?" Jind's eye brows furrowed in thought. "Who's the bait?"

"Me, of course." Elak answered. "I will distract him."

Kyura held her hand up. "Wait, what about you?"

Everyone looked at him.

"What about me?" He smirked, while pointing at the nearby ship. "I can take care of myself."

Renkon nodded. "Let's get ready."

His team agreed, then moved to the ship and entered it.

Elak walked up to him. "Renkon, a moment?"

He turned his attention to him.

"Just some advise." He paused. "Don't let yourself become your worst enemy."

Renkon didn't expect that. "What?"

"I'll tell you a story." He sat on a rock, and continued. "After King Vegeta pledged allegiance to Frieza, he knew fighting him would need a more deft touch. So, he created a secret branch of the Super Elite, a S_hadow Elite_ if you will. We did not have an official name, though. The King hand-picked us, and we knew who we were. We were a fairly sizeable group, and were great at our job. When Frieza attacked, my comrades believed themselves strong enough to defeat him." He stared at Renkon, who was also sitting, with intensity. "They were wrong."

"What is your point?" Renkon asked getting annoyed.

"There's more to fighting than strength alone, meaning your worst enemy is yourself. My friends learned this the hard way." Elak got up. "I was like you before all this, brash, and cocky. Now I'm left is this lesson. Think about it."

Renkon just blinked.

"If you're as smart as you are lucky, you'll figure it out." he said plainly. "By the way, you owe me a scouter." With that, he walked to the ship and entered it.

Renkon scratched the back of his head and remained sitting, deep in thought.

"He has a point, you know."

He heard that from his scouter. "Kyura?" He still felt conflicted. "Maybe."

"Remember when we first met?"

Renkon nodded. "Yeah, I almost died in some alleyway, then you found me."

"If not, we never would've teamed up, or met Jind and Shey."

"Right." He paused, thinking about her point. He shook his head, put his scouter back on, then got up and went to the ship. "We'll figure it out later. Getting off this rock is more important."

"Hurry, things are looking bad here."

He walked faster. "What now?"

"You'll see."

* * *

In the distant cold of space, Zarbon's interceptor was fast on approach to its target.

"We're nearing the distress call now, General Zarbon." The Helmsmen said.

Zarbon sat in the captain's chair, supporting his chin on his fist over the arm rest. The bridge was a bit cramped for his taste, but the rest of the ship was elegant, and he appreciated anything elegant. "Very good, keep to this course. When in orbit, begin entry."

"Yes, sir." the crew said.

Zarbon smiled, while whispering to himself, "This was very foolish Elak. You will regret your defiance." He gave him one chance to prove his loyalty to Lord Frieza, and that slippery monkey pulls something like this? With the bluish planet coming into view, Zarbon smiled. _All things in time_, he thought, _all things in time_.

* * *

Author's note:

More Episodes on the way, so stay tuned!


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